Animal surgery protective sleeve

ABSTRACT

A pet protection system includes a leg portion having a first end having a first cross-section having a flexible opening to insert a pet foot therethrough; an angled portion coupled to the first end and having a second cross-section greater than the first cross-section; and a second end coupled to the angled portion, wherein the second end has a third cross-section greater than the second cross-section; and a body portion coupled to the leg portion, the body portion forming a loop that fits securely on a body of the pet.

This application claims priority to Provisional Application Ser. No.62/293,323 filed Feb. 9, 2016, the content of which is incorporated byreference.

BACKGROUND

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery [also called Cranial CruciateLigament (CCL) surgery] is the most common orthopedic surgery performedin dogs. When the ACL ruptures or is torn, the joint becomes unstablecausing the femur and tibia to move back and forth across each otherleading to severe pain and arthritis. ACL injury can occur from traumaor more commonly from a genetics based degeneration.

Typical surgical techniques used to treat ACL injuries in dogs requirean incision on the leg. The most common surgical techniques used totreat this injury in dogs are the lateral fabellar suture and the tibialplateau leveling osteotomy (TPLO). During these procedures nonabsorbable surgical implants are used to restore stability to the joint.

Anytime surgical stainless steel or other implant materials are placedunderneath the skin of dogs or people the surgical sight issignificantly more prone to serious infection. The most common cause ofinfection in dogs is their own licking of the incision. In addition tolicking the incision dogs can cause damage to their incisions bypawing/scratching, rubbing on objects, rolling in dirt, or from otherpets in the household licking them.

Surgical site infections in animals are a serious post operativecomplication. Infections lead to severe pain, delayed healing,additional hospitalization, increased cost, exacerbation of other healthissues (diabetes, kidney failure, heart disease, etc.), amputation ofthe limb, and death.

Extreme challenges still exist in veterinary medicine to prevent petsfrom damaging their incisions. The traditional plastic cone over thehead of the animal variously known as the “E-collar” (short for“Elizabethan collar”), the “lampshade,” the “satellite dish,” or “thecone of shame” is the most common solution to the problem ofpostoperative incision complications and other areas in need ofself-trauma avoidance. Other objects have been created that can beaffixed around the pet's neck (bite not collars, doughnuts, softe-collars etc.) and these in combination with the cone have beenproposed. However, the same problems remain; discomfort to the pet andperson, damage to household items, improper fitting, inability to eat ordrink when wearing device, difficulty walking, unable to fit in kennelor through dog door, and more. As a result, it is well known most dogowners are unable or unwilling to keep the cone on the dog for therequired amount of time.

Fabric covers have been developed for the limbs of animals in variousshapes and sizes. These covers are either front limb specific, onlycover a portion of the leg, or require fixation to a harness or torsocover to stay in place. The problem with these other fabric coverings istheir inability to stay snugly in place without sliding, bunching orfalling off. Some models do not cover enough surface area, or have to goover both legs to stay in place. Often times the materials are ofinsufficient quality, the pets do not tolerate the design, or the costof the product is too high.

Given these problems and more, veterinarians, pets and pet owners arestill in need of additional solutions to prevent their pet's selfdestruction.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a pet protection system includes a leg portion having afirst end having a first cross-section having a flexible opening toinsert a pet foot therethrough; an angled portion coupled to the firstend and having a second cross-section greater than the firstcross-section; and a second end coupled to the angled portion, whereinthe second end has a third cross-section greater than the secondcross-section; and a body portion coupled to the leg portion, the bodyportion forming a loop that fits securely on a body of the pet.

In another aspect, a method to protect a pet using a sleeve includeswith the pet lying down to prevent injury or falling, placing the firstend portion on a leg; stretching the ankle cuff portion of the sleeveover the pet's paw; moving the pet into a standing position; placing thebody portion on an inside of the leg and wrapping the body portionaround a belly of the pet towards an opposite leg; and strapping thebody portion with the second portion to produce a tight fit.

Advantages of the system may include one or more of the following. Thesleeve is washable, reusable, and reversible. The sleeve is easy tostore and easy to put on and remove and stays in place on the dog withno need to clip to the dog's collar or harness. The sleeve covers thewhole leg instead of just the incisional area. It reduces anxiety forboth the dog and the owner. The sleeve minimizes problems fromself-trauma situations in pets. The sleeve reduces the need forre-stitching incision sites and reduces the cost associated withantibiotics from the pet's scratches. The system enhances the healing ofpets by reducing the pet's ability to access, scratch, lick or chew ontheir healing wound or surgical incision. This is done withoutaggravation to the pet, improving compliance with veterinaryrecommendations to keep the sleeve in place for the specified durationrequired for healing. Additionally, the sleeve protects the pet andfragile items in the house, unlike the cone where the dog can barrelheadlong into household items or people. The sleeve is comfortable forthe dog, unlike the cone that can cause dogs to howl, paw, turn in anendless circle, or perform alligator death rolls on the ground, etc.whenever the pet is wearing a cone. The sleeve is also durable, unlikecones whose edges can be destroyed, rendering the cones useless. Thesleeve could also be used as a supplement to the existing plastic cone.For a majority of pets these sleeves will allow for a cone freerecovery.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an outer face of a sleeve system on apet.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an inside face of the sleeve systemon a pet.

FIGS. 3-4 show a view of the inside and the outside of the sleeve systemwhen the main sleeve seam has been removed and the sleeve system restsflat on a surface.

FIG. 5 shows a view of FIG. 4 with a leg to be protected on the surfaceof the sleeve system.

FIG. 6 shows an outside view of the leg inside the sleeve similar toFIG. 1

FIG. 7 shows an inside view of the leg inside the sleeve similar to FIG.2

DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-7 show an exemplary protection system for a pet 100. FIG. 1shows a perspective view of an outer surface of a sleeve system on a petwhile FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an inside surface of the sleevesystem on the pet. The system has a leg portion that includes 3components: a first end to receive a hind foot, an angled or bentportion to handle the hook of the leg, and a second end adapted to fitthe upper thigh. The first end 120 has outer and inner surfaces 120 and150 (FIG. 4) and further having a first cross-section 152 (FIG. 6)having a flexible opening to insert a pet's foot therethrough. Anelastic band can be used at a bottom of the first end to preventslippage off a foot or up a leg.

The first end extends into an angled portion having a secondcross-section 154 (FIG. 6) greater than the first cross-section 152. Thesystem includes a second end with outer and inner surfaces 130 and 160that is connected to the angled portion. The second end has a thirdcross-section 156 (FIG. 6) greater than the second cross-section 154.Additionally, the system includes a body portion 140 or bellyband/support connected to the leg portion, the body portion 140 forminga loop that fits securely on a body of the pet. The body portion 140 isfurther secured to the pet's belly using straps 190-192. The straps caninclude buckles or hook and loop with adjustability.

FIGS. 3-4 show a view of the inside and the outside of the sleeve systemwhen the main sleeve seam has been removed and the sleeve system restsflat on a surface. FIG. 3 shows the sleeve system as cut flat to rest ona planar surface. The portions are glued together, sewn together orfused together by heat sealing to form a seam.

As shown in FIG. 4, two straps 192 and 190 connects a distal end of thebody portion 140 to the distal portion of the second end at outersurface 130. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, the straps 192 and 190 have amale end (190) connected to the body portion and a female end (190)connected to the second end. Preferably, the strap 140 starts by firstbeing wrapped under a pet's belly when used on a hind limb to avoidslippage off a pet's back. In one embodiment, the two straps include amale and female buckle fastener to provide reversibility.

FIG. 5 shows a view of FIG. 4 with a leg to be protected on the surfaceof the sleeve system, while FIG. 6 shows the leg inside the sleeve. Asshown in FIG. 6, the second end's outer side 130 is longer than theinner side 160. Further, the second end has a tapered shape in thedirection of the pet's head. The second end eventually tapers to connectto the body portion which is a narrower than the second end and has anelongated shape.

FIG. 7 shows an inside view of the leg inside the sleeve. As shown inFIG. 7, the inner side of the second portion can have a curved shape atthe top of the second portion. Alternatively, the inner side of thesecond portion can have a substantially L shaped cut at the top of thesecond end.

The body portion can have a U-shaped area cut-out or a penis hole in thebody portion. One or more attachments can be connected to the portionsat a selected location on a pet body. One or more pet offensivematerials can be secured to the attachment to the pet to repel it fromlicking the selected location. The offensive material includes pepper,metronidazole, bitter apple, or electric shock, among others. Wearableelectronics can be used as an attachment to monitor or affect a pet. Thewearable electronics monitor one of an activity level, a heart rate, ablood pressure, electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, or temperature,electrical muscle stimulators, among others. Additionally, a hook andloop combination can be positioned on a selected area for securing theproper fit to avoid slipping or bunching.

One method to protect a pet using a sleeve includes with the pet lyingdown to prevent injury or falling, placing the first end portion on aleg; stretching the ankle cuff portion of the sleeve over the pet's paw;moving the pet into a standing position; placing the body portion on aninside of the leg and wrapping the body portion around a belly of thepet towards an opposite leg; and strapping the body portion with thesecond portion to produce a tight fit.

The Protective Sleeve for animals addresses the concerns of the animaldisrupting the healing of the incisions and wounds. This is done withthe use of a stretch fabric that is light weight, conforming, durable,and is moisture resistant. The blends of fabric used include polyester,lycra spandex, nylon, kevlar, cordura, or other such suitable fabrics.The sleeve features an elastic band at the bottom to prevent slippageoff the foot or up the leg. The contours of the sleeve fit both thefront and back legs. The main strap of the sleeve is designed to gounder the belly of the pet when used on the hind limb, which enables thesleeve to stay in place without slipping off the back of the pet.

Straps with plastic buckle fasteners have been specifically chosen asthey are the best means of fixation which preserve the reversibility ofthe sleeve. The ability of the sleeve to be turned inside out/bereversible is a key design feature and is what allows the same sleeve tofit all 4 limbs. The straps are adjustable to better fit a size range ofanimals. The straps are contoured in such a way to accommodate the malepenis for urination and comfort. A u-shaped area has been cut out and insome sleeves a hole for the penis to exit has been incorporated. Theshort strap is sewn off center and towards the head of the pet to assistthe longer strap in preventing the sleeve from slipping of the back ofthe animal. The two straps connect via a male and female buckle system.The sleeve is designed to be manufactured in multiple sizes and doublesleeve configuration to accommodate additional surface area coverage andfurther insure the functionality. Attachments to the sleeve using hookand loop, magnetic or mechanical devices are being developed formultiple functions. The functions include but are not limited to holdingoffensive materials (peppers, metronidazole, or bitter apple) to the petto repel it from licking the area. Hook and loop (velcro) can be used insome areas of the sleeve to optimize securing the proper fit to avoidslipping or bunching. Wearables to monitor or affect the animalsactivity level, heart rate, blood pressure, ECG, and temperature(prevent being left in car) are capable of being fit into the design.The figures show the pattern and dimensions for cutting the materials tobe used in the construction of the sleeve.

The protective sleeve is best placed by first having the dog lie down onits side opposite of the leg upon which the sleeve is to be placed (laydown with the desired leg up). In other words, if the right leg is to becovered then the dog should lay on its left side. With the dog lyingdown to prevent injury or falling, the tubular portion of the sleeve canbe placed on the leg much like placing a pant leg or sock on a person.Once a substantial portion of the tubed portion is on the leg, thenarrow diameter ankle cuff portion of the sleeve is stretched over thedogs paw. This ankle cuff portion of the sleeve is specifically designednot to later slip off or over the dog's paw as dogs tend to be botheredwhen any fabric is covering or underneath their footpads.

Once the tube portion of the sleeve is in place then the dog is allowedto stand to begin the placement of the belly bandage. It should be notedthat the belly band is the longer of the two bands to which the strapand buckles are attached. The longer belly band portion of the sleeveshould be on the medial or inside aspect of the leg. If the belly bandis not starting from the inside aspect of the leg then the sleeve mustbe removed from the dogs leg (preferably with the dog laying down toprevent injury or falling), turned inside out and replaced on the leg.

With the longer bellyband portion of the sleeve on the inside of the leg(dog standing) begin wrapping it around the belly towards the oppositeleg. The belly band will pass in front of the opposite leg over the backof the dog, around the underneath side of the belly again, in front ofthe opposite leg again, and end on top of the dogs back. At this pointthe shorter band connected to the tubular portion of the sleeve alongwith its strap and buckle should meet up with the longer bellybandbuckle over the top of the dogs back. Clasp the two portions of thebuckle together and tighten the adjustable strap as needed to produce atight fit.

Adjustments to the longer bellyband portion of the sleeve can be made atthis time to improve comfort and prevent bunching up of the fabricaround the belly or the male dog's prepuce. It should also be noted atthis time that manual shifting of the sleeve towards the dogs headshould be promoted as the number one problem with improper fitting isfor the sleeve to slip off of the dogs back towards the tail.

Additional adjustments and tightening may be required over time as thefabric conforms and stretches to the particular dogs fit.

Various modifications and alterations of the invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention, which is defined by the accompanying claims.

It should be noted that steps recited in any method claims below do notnecessarily need to be performed in the order that they are recited.Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize variations inperforming the steps from the order in which they are recited. Inaddition, the lack of mention or discussion of a feature, step, orcomponent provides the basis for claims where the absent feature orcomponent is excluded by way of a proviso or similar claim language.

What is claimed is:
 1. A pet protection system, comprising: a legportion having: a first end having a first cross-section having aflexible opening to insert a pet foot therethrough; an angled portioncoupled to the first end and having a second cross-section greater thanthe first cross-section; and a second end coupled to the angled portion,wherein the second end has a third cross-section greater than the secondcross-section; and a body portion coupled to the leg portion, the bodyportion forming a loop that fits securely on a body of the pet.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the second end has an outer side and an innerside, the outer side being longer than the inner side.
 3. The system ofclaim 2, wherein the inner side comprises either a curved shaped topportion or a substantially L shaped top portion of the second end. 4.The system of claim 1, wherein the second end comprises a tapered shape.5. The system of claim 1, wherein the body portion comprises anelongated shape.
 6. The system of claim 1, comprising two strapscoupling the body portion to the second end.
 7. The system of claim 6,wherein the body portion tapers into one strap.
 8. The system of claim6, wherein the straps comprise a male end coupled to the body portionand a female end coupled to the second end.
 9. The system of claim 6,wherein the straps are under a pet's belly when used on a hind limb toavoid slippage off a pet's back.
 10. The system of claim 6, wherein thetwo straps connect with a male and female buckle fastener to providereversibility.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one or moreportions are glued together, sewn together or fused together by heatsealing to form a seam.
 12. The system of claim 1, comprising an elasticband at a bottom of the first end to prevent slippage off a foot or up aleg.
 13. The system of claim 1, comprising a U-shaped area cut-out or apenis hole in the body portion.
 14. The system of claim 1, comprisingone or more attachments coupled to the one of the leg portions at aselected location on a body of the pet.
 15. The system of claim 14,comprising one or more pet offensive materials coupled to the one ormore attachments to the pet to repel it from licking the selectedlocation.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the offensive materialsincludes pepper, metronidazole, or bitter apple.
 17. The system of claim14, comprising wearable electronics coupled to the attachment to monitoror affect a pet.
 18. The system of claim 17, wherein the wearableelectronics monitor one of an activity level, a heart rate, a bloodpressure, electrocardiogram (ECG) signal, or temperature.
 19. The systemof claim 1, comprising a hook and loop combination positioned on aselected area for securing a proper fit to avoid slipping or bunching.20. A method to protect a pet including a leg portion having: a firstend having a first cross-section having a flexible opening to insert apet's foot therethrough; an angled portion coupled to the first end andhaving a second cross-section greater than the first cross-section; anda second end coupled to the angled portion, wherein the second end has athird cross-section greater than the second cross-section; and a bodyportion coupled to the leg portion, the body portion forming a loop thatfits securely on a body of the pet, the method comprising: with the petlying down to prevent injury or falling, placing the first end portionon the leg portion; stretching an ankle cuff portion of the sleeve overa pet's paw; moving the pet into a standing position; placing the bodyportion on an inside of the leg and wrapping the body portion around abelly of the pet towards an opposite leg; and strapping the body portionwith the second end to produce a tight fit.